Battery-wise parents bring joy to Christmas kids
Switched-on parents will avoid tears before brunch on Christmas morning by making sure the toys under the tree can
actually be switched on.
"Batteries not included" means exactly that, and in a world of increasingly complicated high-tech gadgetry, the chances
of having enough of the right sort on-hand in the kitchen drawer are becoming more and more remote.
And even raiding the TV remote is not the fail-safe back-stop it used to be - many imported toys take batteries you're
unlikely to find in your existing appliances.
Specialist battery retailer Steve Parsonson says that he's used to coming to the rescue of parents whose children's
prized new toys won't go.
"People buy toys as gifts and don't stop and think about how they're powered," he said. "As a result, it's the parents
who are left trying to explain to their distraught children why they won't be able to play with their new toys until the
shops open again after Christmas."
In some cases Mr Parsonson and his staff at Battery World in Mt Wellington, Auckland, have to make up batteries because
the type needed aren't available in New Zealand.
"We have helped-out quite a few desperate parents in replacing the batteries for the children's ride-on battery-powered
toy cars and bikes because the importer has no back up stocks," he said.
"We strongly recommend that you find out what sort of batteries the gift you're buying takes and include a set in the
parcel."
Note: Battery World, 39D Mt Wellington Highway, Auckland, will be open on Boxing Day.
ENDS